Travelodge Security Under Scrutiny After Hotel Room Attacks
London incident last October mirrors 2022 Maidenhead assault, prompting policy changes and apologies from hotel chain.
Image: Eddie Pollard / AI
Callum Smith
A woman was attacked in her London Travelodge hotel room last October.
A man received a sentence of more than seven years in jail after lying to hotel staff in Maidenhead, claiming to be the boyfriend of a woman staying there, and subsequently using a key card to sexually assault her.
A domestic abuse victim in London recounted her terror: "I couldn’t believe it. The one place I thought he could never get to, he had somehow reached. I felt sick with panic. My safe place disappeared in an instant."
The one place I thought he could never get to, he had somehow reached. I felt sick with panic. My safe place disappeared in an instant.
She claims she was staying at a London Travelodge when reception staff reportedly granted her attacker access.
The attacker is understood to have entered the hotel, informed the receptionist his girlfriend was upstairs having a seizure, and then inquired about her room number and floor.
Staff reportedly provided him with a key and directed him to her room, despite Travelodge's established policy to never confirm a guest's stay to a third party.
Once inside, he physically attacked her and attempted to seize her phone; she managed to persuade him to leave, but he returned and escalated his aggression.
The victim recounted, "I heard him knocking at the door. He was banging, shouting. He was just getting more and more aggressive." He kicked the hotel room door completely off its hinges.
She escaped, running to the lobby and pleading for help, but claims the receptionist panicked and neither called the police nor checked if she required medical attention.
A Travelodge spokesperson stated, "We are deeply sorry for the significant distress experienced by the customer and we apologise for the way the incident has been handled."
The spokesperson added, "Customer safety and security is – and remains – a priority for us." They acknowledged that "Any case of an unauthorised person entering a guest’s room is a significant cause for concern and we want to be clear that this should not have happened."
Travelodge confirmed that their room access security policies were not correctly followed at the time, which they deemed unacceptable.
The hotel chain has since modified its room access security policy, now mandating explicit permission from guests before issuing additional or replacement keys.
The victim of the 2022 attack initially received a £30 refund from Travelodge, an offer the company later admitted was inappropriate.
The domestic abuse victim stated, "I thought someone would protect me." Lucy emphasised that "Hotels need safeguarding procedures... because one mistake can have devastating consequences."
The woman is now reportedly unable to stay in hotels due to fear and anxiety following the attack.